Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-04-15
THE SuEZ SHIP CANAL.
How the Traffic Along the Waterway Is
Managed.

A writer in the Saturday Rerielc describes
how the traffic along the Suez Canal is
directed and controlled from the office at
Terreplein, near Suez. The number OF
ships in the canal at the same time is
something very great. December Sth last,
for example. fifteen steamers cleared the
canal, of which seven were outward-bound.
The previous day nine ships cleared, and
the day before seven, SO that during the
Sth some thirty ships were probably at one
time in the canal Sometimes there afe as
many as forty, and all are completely I'M
der the control of the French gentleman
sitting at his desk in an upper chamber at
Terreplein. The method of working is
exceedingly simple.
AGAINST the wall at one side of the room
is narrow shelf or platform, along which
rms a groove. At intervals this trough or
groove has deep recesses, and at two places
these recesses are of larger size. This
trough or groove represents the canal. The
recesses are the sidings. The larger inter-
walls are the Great Bitter Lake and Lake
Timsoh. When d vessel has been signaled,
and is about to enter the canal at, say, the
Suez end, q small toy boat or model three
four inches long is chosen to represent her.
A group of these model ships stands ready
beside the model canal, each furnished
with a flag. About forty have the English
flag. ten or a dozen the French flag, and so
on with other nationalities. As the steamer
comes up and her name is known it is
written on paper and placed on the toy
boat. The whole number of ships thus
actually in the canal at any moment can
be seen at a glance; and. as the lelegraphlc
signals give notice, the toy boats are moved
along, or placed in a siding, or shown ira
versing one of the lakes at full speed.
Signals are sent from the office to the
various "gares,n prescribing the siding at
which each ship must stop to let another
meet and pass it. The official who Is on
duty keeps the models moving as he re-
ceives notice, taking care when perhaps two
ships going in opposite directions are both
nearing the same siding to give timely
warning to the pilots in charge by means
of the signal balls and flags at each station
under his control from the office, and to
direct which of the two is TO lie up and
which to proceed. Barring accidents, the
whole arrangement goes like clock-work.
The clerk can read off in a moment the
name, tonnage, nationality, draught and
actual situation of every steamer; he can
tell what pilot she has on board, and what
is her breadth of beam, what rate she IS
moving at, and everything else which has
to be known about her; ana he is able
without an effort to govern all her move
ments, to prescribe the place where she is
to pass the night, and the hour at which
she is to get under way in the morning,
although he does not see her, and probably
never saw her in his life. The fees which
vessels pay for passing through the canal
are often enormous. Some OF the large
liners of the Peninsula and Oriental, or the
Orient service, pay as much as Fl, 500 in
making single transit. For every passen-
ger half napoleon, or eight shillings four
pence, is charged. Three-fourths of the
ships that go through the canal are Eng
Itch